


Vengeance

by hiddenlongings



Series: Rough [1]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark John Reese, M/M, Murder, Pining, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2014-07-28
Packaged: 2018-02-10 18:18:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2035185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiddenlongings/pseuds/hiddenlongings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Root needed to be taken care of.  By whatever means necessary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vengeance

Reese kissed Finch for the first time late one night in the flickering light of a computer screen.  Finch had tasted like boysenberry muffins and tea.  His mouth sticky with the sugar and sweet.  Reese had leaned into the moment for long seconds, reveled in its shape and clarity.  As he let his lips start to move though he noticed Finch's utter stillness.  He pulled back sharply and met Finch's blue eyes. They were wide, there whites showing all around the iris and his face was pale and waxy.

He had thought. 

They'd been flirting for weeks.  John had been so sure.  Had let himself feel that steady regard for his employer grow deeper. Grow into something that...but he'd been wrong.  All wrong.  And now he had ruined everything.  He had mumbled an apology and bolted into the night.  The boiling in his stomach couldn't decide on nausea or craving a drink so he pointedly ignored the liquor stores and had retreated into his apartment for the better part of three days.

When Reese finally received a call from Finch he had promised himself.  He'd bury whatever this was, bury it so deep that it would smother and die. 

He entered the library in his usual immaculate suit and he had focused completely on the Numbers.  Finch had let him.  Had let the subject drop into oblivion and Reese had been grateful, pathetically so and thrown himself into the work.

Victim: Blackmail for a past indiscretion.  The enterprising thug was hustled onto a bus three days later with three of his four limbs in casts. Suitably chastened.

Perpetrator: A man looking to sooth his wounded pride from a firm rejection.  He'd found himself with a handful of knock out pills and bruised genitals.  Reese had let the police take care of that one.  The pissed off victim was ready and willing to testify against the man and kick him in the balls again as needed.

Victim.

Victim.

Victim.

Root.

Reese hadn't wanted to kill many women over the course of his lifetime.  Kara.  Kara had needed to die, his bullets had been too good for her but viscerally satisfying nonetheless.  But Root.  Before his kidnapping Finch had slowly been relaxing again around Reese.  There easy camaraderie coming back in bits and pieces.  Finch relaxing his guard against further unwanted advances and Reese struggling to bury whatever sickness was inside of him.  They had both been succeeding.  Then...then Finch was gone.  Reese _knew_ that he had to bring him back. By whatever means necessary Reese would bring Finch back to him and Root would be dealt with.  He'd make sure of that.

Leon Tao was an annoying little piss ant, but Reese could feel in his bones the imagined weight of Finch's disapproval so he dragged Leon and Lionel out of the (clichéd and dated) empty factory leaving a pile of wheezing white supremacist thugs in his wake.

"Not a word you hear me." Fusco growled. 'We're going back to my cruiser in total silence."

"Sure thing, Lionel.  Like a gag order." Reese had to repress a small smirk as he responded before Leon's whine filled the air.

"Hey. Hey, guys, think you could uncuff me?"

" **No**." Reese  & Fusco barked out in unison as they marched away from the building.

Reese paused in his tracks for a moment before he whistled for the dog.

He came running out of the warehouse gleefully and Reese had to suppress another smile. 

"Good dog."

The faint trace of evidence that Root had left along with Leon's insistent trackers lead John in circles around the city.  As he dodged bullets and Carter's bad news he felt that long ago crack that Jess had left in him start to pull apart.  The idea of being alone in this world, again, was too much.  More than he could ever hope to take.  So he made the Machine an ultimatum.  It worked.

_"Because he's my friend. He saved my life. Understand?"_

The phone rang and John answered before he hustled Leon away.

He had all the information he needed.

* * *

The train station was crowded and Reese had no intention of going in through the front door.  Airports were heavily secured at this point but trains weren't nearly so well protected and he managed to sneak in through a service entrance that let him out in the middle of the station and it only took him a moment to catch sight of the familiar woman in the brown shirt standing next to a man in a wheelchair.

He was behind her in a moment and had the gun she was pulling out of her purse with a single vicious twist of his hand.  He could feel delicate bones crack and give way underneath the pressure and Root let out a strangled yelp before Reese spun her around and shoved her easily towards a unisex bathroom.  She stumbled in her heels and struggled against his grip but the station was busy and her features, green with pain, let Reese get away with a huskily muttered 'morning sickness' as he shoved them both into the bathroom and shut and locked the door with ease.

"Ah." Reese sighed as he turned to face the woman that had given him so much trouble. "Alone at last."

"I'm going to scream." Root said her usual poise gone as she clutched her wrist to her chest.

"That really won't be necessary, Root."  John said evenly as he pulled her gun from his pocket and pistol whipped her across the face with it. 

Root hit the ground with a thud, the blow hitting her hard enough to make her see stars but not enough to knock her out.

"Normally." John continued in his usual low slow tone. "I'm a bit of a chauvinist.  I don't like hitting women.  Though when the situation calls for it and they deserve it." He waved the gun nonchalantly. "Well, I get over that little hang up."

"What are you going to do John?  Kill me in a public bathroom?"

Reese shook his head and easily stepped clear of the swiping kick that Root had aimed at his ankle.

"Root.  I'm shocked. Horrified even."

Reese leaned against the door and watched Root impassively as she struggled back to her feet.  As soon as she stood up he lunged forwards and had her pressed up against the cool tiles of the wall with a force that knocked the breath from her lungs and then he held her gun up to her head letting the muzzle nuzzle into the delicate skin behind her ear while his other hand wrapped tightly around her throat.

"I've gotta be honest.  I don't really give a shit about you and your shitty childhood Root.  I don't care about your plans.  Why you did or do the things you do.  You took Harold from me.  Now that's a problem.  For you, I mean."

_Knock. Knock._

"Mr. Reese?  Mr. Reese?"

Harold was at the door and John knew he didn't have much time to take care of things.

"You can't kill me, John.  Harold won't like it.  I know you well enough to know that you'll do whatever your master wants."

Reese smiled and laughed.

"You don't know the first goddamn thing about me."

Reese pocketed the gun and pulled out a syringe which he slid into the thin skin of her elbow without the slightest of qualms.

As the drug quickly took hold Root slid down onto the ground again and Reese let her drop without slowing her fall.

After he had wiped his prints from the gun and the door knobs he easily slid out of the bathroom with a paper toweled hand.

The next part was going to be tricky.

When John opened the door he found himself nose to forehead with his employer and he couldn't restrain a relieved smile as he caught sight of the smaller man.

"Finch."

Reese stepped out of the bathroom and shut it firmly behind him before he gently lead Finch away from the door tossing the paper towels in nearby trash can. 

"Mr. Reese.  What happened? Root?"

"Is dead."

Finch's face tightened and Reese bit back a sigh.  He was going to try and be difficult wasn't he.

"Mr. Reese!"

"I'm very pleased that you're alright Finch."

Finch's mouth pursed and he leaned away from Reese.  Reese took the hint and backed up several steps so he wasn't invading Finch's personal space.

"I'm...I'm not sure what to say Mr. Reese."

Reese smiled bleakly as he leaned in one last time and pressed a kiss to Finch's cheek.

"That's easy, Harold. All you have to say is goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

"Exactly. Goodbye Harold.  It was a pleasure working for you."

Reese got to his feet and dropped his phone next to Finch on the bench before he strode easily away.  It seemed to Finch that barely a split second had passed before John was lost in the press of bodies.


End file.
